Team Quinn, est. 2010

A few months ago I was surfing the Texas Children's Hospital website, specifically hitting on their resources around their heart center and support groups. I came across this organization called "It's My Heart", a non-profit group "created to provide support to and advocating for those affected by Acquired and Congenital Heart Defects" (from their website, http://www.itsmyheart.org/). It's a national organization but has one of it's largest bases here in Houston. I noticed back then they had a support walk called Keep the Beat coming up in Feb. 2011, but not knowing Q's surgery schedule I didn't want to commit to participating.

I did, however, notice in all of the pictures of past walks, all of the participating teams had matching T-shirts... Team John, Team Jane, etc. And as I have read some more "heart family" blogs, I saw that many of those families created "Team" shirts in honor of their child affected by a CHD. So of course my wheels started turning and I started designing a shirt in honor of Quinn.

With the Christmas season approaching, we decided to hand them out as part of their gifts to our immediate families. Our goal at that point was to simply have everyone wear them on the day of Q's surgery whether they would be at the hospital or not. I thought it would be a cool way to connect us all in prayer for Quinn across the miles.

We were pretty tickled about the results of the shirt (pictured below). The obvious choice for color would have been red given the heart thing, but we really wanted something different. We decided to go with green for several reasons --- first of all, our family's last name is very Irish, as are Ryan and Quinn's names. Secondly, it looks like her surgery will be in the Spring and I just associate green with springtime. And allergies. But that's a different story.

But most importantly, as I got more nerdy researching the meanings of various colors, I found that green symbolizes growth, hope, endurance, protection, healing, and LIFE. Wow. I'll take it.

Lots and lots of nerdiness abound for just a tshirt.

Anyway, the front obviously has "Team Quinn" pictured with a big heart with a cross in it. The back has our favorite verse that we have continued to recite and claim repeatedly through this entire journey...

Jeremiah 29:11.

 

Front



Back - we claim that verse daily for Quinn

Well, now we will for sure wear them on the day of her surgery and throughout her recovery process, but many of us will also band together and wear them for this walk on Feb. 19th in downtown Houston. I am so excited that many of our family members have already agreed to attend and we are looking forward to this day of bonding, and most importantly, raising money and awareness for congenital heart defects.

If you are a friend our ours living in the Houston area, we invite you to join us as well on this special morning. Registration is $25, but if you donate $50 you get a free tshirt - whoo hoo! :) ha. However, this is not a plea for donations or even participation. I simply ask that you be in prayer for this event and for all of the families affected by CHD's that will be walking. I know that I am honored to walk shoulder to shoulder with all of these amazingly strong families. I also know that I have a lot to learn from them in the way of grace during extreme adversity and maintaining the most incredibly positive attitudes.

If you are interested in supporting Team Quinn with a donation to "It's My Heart" or even participating in the walk that day, click here. So many of you have already helped us during this roller coaster year, I really don't expect y'all to do much more, so please don't feel like you have to do anything but just pray for us! You have already been there for us by flooding Heaven with prayers for our family, and really, that's all I could I ever want. I am deeply grateful to all of you for your support, friendship, and love. Team Quinn loves you!

In Him,